It All Ends
by WorldofImagination18
Summary: No one ever imagined it would end this way. When they first met they were children. Now they are fighting for their lives. During the past year Hermione experience things she could have never imagined. Now, they are coming back to haunt her one last time. All Fred knows, is that he will do anything for her. No matter what the cost is. AN: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Smoke. There was nothing else to see. Just smoke and the occasional flash of bright lights. Not fires. But the glow of spells and curses being flung from all sides. Bricks littered the ground of the courtyard – or at least what had been the courtyard. Her clothes were covered in dirt and half her hair had seemingly turned grey from all the dust that had settled. Keeping her head down, she knelt by the side of one of the few stone walls still standing. Two discarded wands lay a few feet away from her. The outstretched hands of the owners didn't move.

She couldn't remember the last time she had heard so much noise. Some of it was the voices of people castings spells. But most of it was screaming. Children screaming. She wiped the dust from her eyes to try and clear them. When this whole thing had started seven years ago, she had never imagined it would end this way. But then what twelve-year-old would have imagined her school burning around her and her fellow students being slaughtered? Even when she'd left to go and find the Horcruxes she had assumed Hogwarts would be safe. But now the place that had been her school - her _home_ \- had become a battleground. She'd read enough books about battles over the past centuries. The wars in both the Muggle world and the Wizarding one had been filled with them. But reading was one thing. Not for the first time, books were a far cry from the reality.

"_HERMIONE!"_

A flash and a cry. Hermione glanced up to see the body of a Death Eater lying several inches away. His wand reaching out towards her. Hands grabbed her and pulled her to her feet. Seamus gave her a shaky grin.

"You alright?"

She nodded. "Thanks. Seamus have…" she paused. Two names were on the tip of her tongue. Both equally important to her.

"Seamus have you seen Fred or Harry?"

He shook his head. "Saw a load of redheads with Ron. Guessing he was there. Harry…." His voice dropped.

"I don't know."

Hermione gave a shaky nod. She knew she should be focused on the fact that Harry had disappeared. But all her mind seemed to be able to focus on was the fact that Fred might be okay. A smile crossed her face. The last time she had seen him they'd been practically screaming at each other. But that was before the Horcruxes. Before Malfoy Manor. Before all of this. Somehow an argument seemed so pointless to be thinking about. Seamus snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"People are starting to regroup near the Great Hall."

Hermione nodded. The sensible thing would be to go with him. Chances are she'd see Fred and maybe even Harry. But she knew other people were still out here. She'd seen a group of Ravenclaw students chase several Death Eaters in this direction. And whilst she was already standing beside two of them; she knew the others could be okay.

"Go," she nodded firmly, "Go to the Great Hall. I'll be along in a minute."

Seamus raised an eyebrow. "Yeah because Ron and Harry would really thank me for just leaving you here."

"Well I'm pretty sure Ron and Harry know by now I can look after myself. Plus, there are still students out here. We brought this on them. I can't just leave them to face it alone."

She could tell by the way Seamus's eyes narrowed that he didn't agree with her.

"Hermione-"

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

Green light filled the space where she and Seamus had been standing moments before. Hermione pushed herself up from the floor; her hand curled around her wand. She watched Seamus shakily get to his feet. The Death Eater advanced on them. They raised their wand and Hermione nodded.

"Split up?"

"Good idea."Seamus turned and began moving back towards the Great hall. Hermione didn't bother watching the Death Eater as she turned and ran in the opposite direction. The Death Eater shouted something again and she ducked her head. More rubble fell down around her. Hermione spun round on the balls of her feet; arm raised.

"Stupefy!"

The light flung the Death Eater back several feet and they lay still on the ground. Hermione stared at the body for a few moments before she allowed herself to take in the scene around her. This far from the main building, the noises had quietened down. But she could still hear them in the background. The ruined walls around her smouldered, and now that the smoke haze was clearing, she was becoming more conscious of the figures lying on the ground. One of two were wearing their Death Eaters masks. But too many were in jeans and t-shirts. A tear leaked down her face. None of this was supposed to be happening. None of these people should be here. They should be stuck in a class or hiding away in their common rooms to avoid being caught skiving. They should be in the library or at Quidditch practice. Not staring up sightlessly at the sky. Hermione gripped her wand.

"They'll pay," her rough voice shook her slightly. "Each and every one of them will pay. I promise."

"And who's going to make us do that Mudblood?"

Hermione spun round. Bellatrix smiled at her. Wand in one hand and a knife in the other. Hermione opened her mouth but the only sound she could make was a small choking sound. Bellatrix cocked her head to one side.

"Oh dear. Looks like you won't be doing anything at all Mudblood."

"I…" Hermione forced herself to take steady breaths. This wasn't Malfoy Manor. She wasn't Bellatrix's prisoner. Not now. But as the other woman inched closer, all Hermione could see was the madness in the woman's eyes. The same madness she had seen when she'd been carving her knife into her arm. Bellatrix giggled.

"Actually, you will be doing something for me." She raised her wand.

"Tell me where Harry Potter is."

Hermione shook her head. Bellatrix narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me where he is!"

"No." She couldn't help but laugh. "No, I'm not doing that. You can go ahead and kill me right now because I won't betray him. Not for anything."

"Kill you?" The Death Eaters face twisted into a smile and Hermione felt a coldness rush through her body.

"Why would I do that? Far too quick and painless. I want to know where the boy is."

She tapped her wand against Hermione's face.

"I enjoyed our time together at Malfoy manor. Why don't we pick up where we left off?"

Hermione opened her mouth as Bellatrix took a step back and raised her wand.

"_Crucio!"_

Hermione's words were drowned by her screams.

* * *

Fred remembered hearing stories from his parents and their friends about the First Wizarding War. Back then it had seemed like some great adventure. Him and George once played a game where they pretended to be fighting against Voldemort – a part played by a very unwilling Percy. Each time they played it they emerged victorious.

But this wasn't a game.

Fred ducked to avoid more bricks falling on him. He'd already come close to being crushed by a wall and had narrowly missed being hit by two killing curses. Students, teachers and members of the Order surrounded him. All battling the oncoming hoard of Death Eaters. He knew George was beside him; but Fred had no idea about the rest of his family. Yet all he seemed to be able to do right now was try and keep his breathing steady. He forced himself to block out the screams that filled the air around him as both him and George hurried down the steps that led into what had once been the courtyard. Only when they came to a halt, did Fred realise he was holding his brothers' hand. George smiled weakly at him.

"You okay Freddie?"

Fred nodded and tugged his hand free. "Not quite how it was when we played as kids."

George grinned. "Tell me about it. Percy never put up this much of a fight. Talk about a lack of effort."

Despite everything, Fred couldn't help but nod. "I know. I mean at least here they are actually _trying_."

"Just a shame they're trying to kill us."

"Kinda puts a damper on the whole thing."

George nodded. "Don't suppose if we asked them to stop, they would?"

"Depends if we said please?"

Silence fell between them again and Fred glanced down at the wand in his hand. Only a year ago he'd been running a successful joke shop with his brother. Now they were in the midst of a battle and were fighting for their lives. And not just them. Every single student who was still here was doing the same thing. The teachers, their parents. Harry, Hermione.

Fred glanced over at George. Whilst he was beyond glad to have his brother with him, the fact that his girlfriend wasn't, was killing him. He'd briefly seen Harry and Ron chasing Malfoy and his cronies. But nothing of Hermione. Last time he had seen her had been Bills wedding. And that was a moment Fred would rather forget.

"Fred?"

"I…" Fred shook his head before glancing at the destruction around them. He tried to block out the bodies and instead focused on the ruins. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see George smiling at him.

"I know you want to go and look for her."

"Where would I start?" Fred didn't see the point in denying it. His twin knew him too well for that. George sighed.

"Well we haven't seen her inside. And since we're here we could have a look around. She might be here."

Fred bit his lip. It wasn't the ruins or the dead that unnerved him about the courtyard. It was the silence. Not even birds could be heard. If Hermione was here, then chances are she was injured or…

"Hey," George nudged him, "She'll be alright. It's Hermione."

Fred gave a curt nod. "Yeah." He forced a smile on his face, even as the tears were starting to form.

"Yeah course she will be."

"Fred?"

He shook his head; tears now spilling from his eyes.

"The last conversation we had was some bloody argument!" Fred clenched his free fist.

"Some stupid argument at Bills wedding. She told me she was going to be leaving with Harry and Ron to find the Horcruxes. I wanted to go with her but she said no." He wiped at his eyes.

"I don't even remember what I said. Some ridiculous thing about how she always seemed to be putting Harry and Ron first." He chocked out a laugh. "How selfish could I have been? She spent nearly a year on the run, risking her life for all of us and all I cared about what that she seemed to want to spend more time with my brother – one of her best friends – more than me?"

"Fred." George placed both hands on his shoulders. "Fred look at me. She'll be okay?"

"I never got a chance to say sorry," Fred whispered, "She stormed off and as soon as she did, I wanted to apologise. But then we heard the news about the Ministry and they'd already gone!" He could hear his voice getting louder. "And now she could be dead and the last conversation we had will have been a pointless argument!"

"Hey!" George gave him a gentle shake. "Listen to me. Hermione will be fine. Why? Because she's Hermione Granger. She can survive Ron for seven years so she can survive anything. We'll find her and then you can do all of your heartful declarations of love or whatever it is you do."

Fred nodded mutely. George began moving towards the centre of the courtyard and he followed closely behind. Although he knew they'd end up in his nightmares later, Fred forced himself to look at every single body they came across. And although he knew he shouldn't; he couldn't help but smile grimly as he realised none of them were Hermione.

"How can you do this? Murder children?"

Fred turned to face his brother. George was standing over the body of a young girl. Even from his distance, Fred knew she was only a few years younger than him. One of the many students who'd snuck out onto the battlefield, despite the teachers attempts to keep anyone under eighteen safe. Fred reached out a hand and pulled George away from the sight.

"I don't know. But they won't get away with it."

George nodded. "Fred…. I love you."

Fred's eyes widened. Whilst it was hardly a surprised that he loved his twin, neither of them had ever really said it. Not properly. It had been more of an unspoken bit of knowledge between them. George shrugged.

"Just in case either of us…. I just wanted you to know."

Fred nodded. "I love you to George."

Fred locked eyes with his brother, unsure of how to follow this. George seemed to be feeling the exact same way.

Then a scream broke the silence.

* * *

Every single breath hurt. The bricks scrapped against Hermione's back. The only thing keeping her standing was Bellatrix's grip on her. The other woman narrowed her eyes.

"Where. Is he?"

Hermione shook her head. A small whimper slipped from her mouth. When Bellatrix first started, she had told herself she'd be fine. She'd come through this once already. She'd do so again. But this time had been different. Somehow, there was even more hatred in Bellatrix than there had been before. Each curse hit Hermione with more anger than the previous one.

"_Crucio."_

Her screams had turned into exhausted cries long ago. She barely had the energy to make a sound. Hermione shook her head.

"I… I don't know." She blinked back her tears. "I swear…. I don't know."

She knew she should be fighting back. She could take Bellatrix easily. But her wand now lay discarded several feet away. And even if she still had it, Hermione knew deep down she wouldn't have done anything. The Cruciatus curse was doing its work. But it was the fear that was keeping her from fighting. Bellatrix dug the tip of her wand into her cheek.

"You have such a pretty scream. I could listen for hours."

She placed a hand on Hermione's forehead – keeping it pressed against the wall.

"What a pity we don't have hours. _Legilimens."_

* * *

Fred was running before he even realised it. He was halfway across the courtyard when the first scream stopped. But the silence only lasted a few moments before another one could be heard. Then another. And another. Tears blurred his vision as more and more of Hermione's screams could be heard across the courtyard. Fred raised his wand as he got closer and closer.

"Fred! FRED!"

Hands grabbed him and pushed him against a wall. Fred glared at his brother and tried to push against the arm that was keeping him pinned in place.

"George what the bloody hell are you doing?"

His twin slammed him back. "Stopping you from getting yourself killed!"

"Can't you hear her?" Fred pushed against his twin. The screams were dying slightly. But the pained and weakened cries that replaced them didn't do anything to ease him.

"I am not going to stand by whilst someone is causing her pain!"

"Listen to me," George whispered harshly, "If you go in there, whoever has Hermione will kill you. How do you think that's going to help her? It won't."

Fred gave his brother another shove. But this one was far weaker.

"George I can't…" he screwed up his face as another scream rang out.

"I can't just…" Tears streamed from his eyes. "George she's being _tortured!_"

His twin nodded and Fred could see tears were appearing in his own eyes.

"We're going to help her," he whispered. "But we need a plan that gets us all out alive. Okay?"

Fred nodded. As he let his brother speak, he tried to block out the anguished cries.

He wasn't successful.

* * *

Without saying anything, he turned the corner. His wand at the ready. Huge piles of rubble were dotted about and he didn't dare think about how long it would take to rebuild Hogwarts. Assuming any of them survived to do so. Two figures were pushed up against the wall a few feet away. One was being held up by the other. They body hanging limply in their grip. The other person prodded them with their wand and the only sound they made was a tired groan.

"Useless Mudblood filth." The voice was a womans'. Her mass of black hair obscured her face.

"What good are you if you don't know where Potter is?"

He flinched as she smacked Hermione's face.

"Well? Answer me?"

He kept on inching forward. Hermione forced her head up.

"I'm of no use to you. So why keep this up?"

There was a small flash and he realised a knife was now being held in front of Hermione's face. Her body tensed – even in its battered state – and her eyes widened. The other woman nodded.

"Do you remember this one? The one that so beautifully wrote those letters into your skin? I wonder what else we could decorate you with?"

"Bellatrix please…" Hermione's voice was barely a whisper and he wondered if she was only upright because she was being held against the wall. Bellatrix pushed her face closer.

"Please? Please what?"

Hermione opened her mouth but was silenced as Bellatrix pressed the flat on the blade against her lips and gently moved it downwards until it rested halfway down her neck.

"Bellatrix please don't hurt me? Bellatrix please don't kill me?" She cackled. "You are worthless to me Mudblood. Even your screams are too weak to enjoy."

She flicked her wrist so know the edge of the blade was pressing against Hermione's throat. He raised his wand and lunged forward.

"Get the hell away from her! _Now!"_

Both women froze. Bellatrix turned to face him.

"Expelliamus."

His wand landed several feet away. Bellatrix stared at him for a few moments before her eyes widened.

"Well if it isn't one of the Weasley's. Of course, a blood traitor like you would want to save her. Where's the rest of your family?"

He shook his head; aware of the blade still at Hermione's throat.

"Last chance. Let her go."

The older woman chuckled. "You're the one she's in love with, aren't you? The one whose name she was screaming last time we were…. together. Fred isn't it?"

He narrowed his eyes. Hermione was staring at him. Her eyes pleading him to turn and run. Her legs were shaking, and he knew the moment Bellatrix let her go she would fall. The Death Eater removed the knife from her neck and gently tapped her cheek with it.

"How sweet," she cooed. "Your boyfriend has come to try and save you."

Her head snapped back to face him, and she forced Hermione to do the same. He held the wand tightly in his hand as Bellatrix dug the knife back into the side of Hermione's neck.

"The only trouble is, he isn't your boyfriend is he." She whispered to Hermione. "Not this one."

She turned to face him. "You see; before you arrived, I'd been trying to get some information out of our Mudblood friend."

"Don't call her that!"

The woman shrugged. "Well she wasn't co-operating, so I decided to see for myself. Her memories were filled with so much. So many things have happened to her. So many people have been a part of her life. I saw which Weasley she fell in love with. Which Weasley decided to dirty himself by being with a mudblood." She smiled.

"The same Weasley whose brother lost his ear. Just like you seem to have done."

He locked eyes with Hermione who was shaking her head at him.

"Run," she choked out. "George…run!"

Bellatrix threw back her head with a laugh. She spun so she now stood between them. One arm kept the knife against Hermione's neck and the other pointed her wand at him. She scanned the empty courtyard.

"Come out Freddie. We're all dying to see you."

Silence. He could see the knife was starting to leave a thin red line across Hermione's skin. Bellatrix cleared her throat.

"I'll give you two minutes Fred. And if you don't come out... then I'll kill your brother and your girlfriend where they stand."

_**A little darker than my previous Fremione fics. Was initially going to be a single piece but realised it was starting to get a bit too long. Next chapter should be up some time next week with any luck. Feel free to let me know what you think. Also I take no credit for the title. The tagline for the final film just seemed to work really well for this story.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Fred gripped his wand tightly. He hadn't dared move an inch as his brother had confronted Bellatrix. Whilst he'd been beyond worried for his twin's safety; he hadn't been able to take his eyes off Hermione. He couldn't believe the difference a year could make. She was older than he remembered. Not just physically. But he knew that the past few months had forced her to grow up beyond her years. The spark that had once filled her eyes was still there. But now it was more clouded. He didn't want to think about what she had seen over the past year. And he hadn't been able to be by her side for any of it. Fred's eyes wandered over her. Cuts and bruises littered her skin and even though she was a few metres away he could see her body shaking in Bellatrix's hold. He would be lying if he said he hadn't had some reservations about George's plan. Mainly because the idea of him hiding whilst Bellatrix threatened the two people he loved most didn't sit well with him. But he also knew it was the best way of getting Hermione out alive.

"I'll give you two minutes Fred. And then I'll kill your brother and girlfriend where they stand."

At least that he been the plan.

Fred watched as George gave a helpless glance in his direction. He turned back to see Hermione follow his twins gaze – aware of how she desperately tried to ignore the fact that Bellatrix's face was pushed up against hers. Bellatrix cleared her throat.

"One minute."

"Don't you dare Frederick Weasley!" Hermione gave Bellatrix a feeble shove. The Death Eater raised an eyebrow before tightening her hold on her. Hermione shook her head.

"Don't be a bloody idiot!"

Fred bit his lip as he saw several smaller red lines appear on her neck as she strained against Bellatrix. The older woman seemed almost pleased by the sight of the blood.

"I'm not bluffing! I will kill them unless you come out of hiding!"

"Ignore her Forge." George spat. "She'll just kill you as well."

"And yet," Fred muttered, "I'm not going to risk anything happening to either of you." He cleared his throat and jumped to his feet.

"All right!" He held his hands up and moved towards the three of them. "All right. Here I am."

George shot him a look and Fred simply shrugged. Hermione meanwhile was shooting him a glare.

"Fred what are you doing?"

He shot her a weak smile. "What sort of boyfriend would I be if I just left you?"

"Aww," Bellatrix smiled. "How sweet. Now drop your wand."

Fred glanced down. His wand rested against his leg. The second he let it go he knew Bellatrix would be able to do anything to them. Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

"Stubbornness must be hereditary. _Crucio!"_

"NO!"

His wand hit the ground to the sound of George's scream. Fred rushed forward to catch his brother. George convulsed in his arms for a few seconds before his body relaxed. Fred held him close.

"Gred? George?" He gave him a small shake and George forced a smile on his face.

"I'm okay. Well…" he winced, "maybe not 'okay'. But y'know…still breathing."

Fred snapped his head up to see Bellatrix standing over them.

"_You'll pay for that!"_

He half helped, half dragged George to his feet. Bellatrix shrugged and turned her gaze back to Hermione. She pushed loose strands of hair from her face.

"How interesting. His brother gets cursed once and he rushes to him. But you? You were screaming for ages and yet he never once came for you?"

"Shut up." Fred spat. "Just shut up!"

Bellatrix ran her hand down Hermione's face and softly patted her cheek

"Guess when it comes down to it, he's just like any pure blood. Cares more about his own than any filthy Muggle-born."

"Hey!" George yelled, "He told you to shut up!"

Fred shot his brother a thankful smile. George was still leaning on him, but not as much as he had been a few moments ago.

"So then," Bellatrix held her knife up and waved it in front of Hermione's face.

"If you had to choose…. who would you pick? Your brother or…" she pulled Hermione's head back with one hand and jammed the knife under her chin with the other. Fred darted forward but George held him back. Bellatrix brought her lips to Hermione's ear.

"Well isn't this familiar. I wonder if it'll will turn out any differently than the last time?"

"Last…. last time?" Fred had a horrible feeling he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

"What do you mean 'last time'?"

"Why, when we were at Malfoy manor?" Bellatrix smiled. "Potter, your brother and the mudblood were our 'guests'." She gave another tug on Hermione's hair.

"This one was _very _stubborn. I forget how long I spent trying to get her to talk. In the end her screams just sort of…faded out. When it was clear the Cruciatus curse wasn't going to work, I had to try other ways of convincing her. Not that she believed what I said to her."

Fred could feel the rage burning through him. But another look at Hermione's face forced him to stay calm. He glanced at her.

"Hermione. Whatever she is saying, or has been saying, it's not true."

Bellatrix cocked her head to one side.

"Well, what I've been saying is that she is a useless, filthy Mudblood. So, I'd say that's pretty true."

"Yeah well." Fred had no idea how he hadn't been sick yet. "I'm not exactly a sharer of that opinion."

"Well," Bellatrix said. "It's more fact than opinion." She smiled over at Hermione.

"Why don't we show him? Show him my handiwork?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. No please don't show him."

"Show me what?" Fred clenched his fists. He could feel George placing both hands on his shoulders in an effort to keep him calm. Bellatrix tutted.

"Why do you keep being stubborn with me? Surely you know by now I can make you regret it?"

Fred watched as Hermione mutely began rolling her jacket sleeve up. Ever since he had met her seven years ago, she had never been so meek. So subordinate. No matter who it was, she wasn't afraid to stand up to them and fight back. Whatever Bellatrix had put her through had left long lasting memories. Hermione let her bared arm hang by her side. Bellatrix sighed.

"Well show him then!"

Hermione avoided his gaze as she raised her arm so both him and George could now see the underside of it. Several red marks marred her skin, and it took Fred a few seconds to realise what they were.

Not marks. Letters.

"She's now got a label to prove it."

Fred wasn't sure what he had been expecting to see. But never in his darkest nightmares would he have imagined that. Although he couldn't make out all of the letters clearly, he knew what it said. Bellatrix gave a low chuckle.

"You see? It'll always be a reminder to him of what you are."

"You…." Fred shook his head. George tightened his grip as he moved forward.

"You evil, sadistic _bitch!_"

"Langue please!" Bellatrix placed a hand over her heart. "We're at a school!" She glanced down at the red marks on Hermione's arm.

"You should have been there. Her screams were so beautiful."

"I will kill you," Fred's voice was low, "I swear that right now. I will kill you for what you did to her back then and for what you are doing to her now."

The giggle that escaped Bellatrix's lips wasn't entirely unexpected. But it wasn't any less chilling. She turned to Hermione.

"It's always so fun to see the so-called good people reveal their true selves. Your friends were the same when they tried to help you back in the manor. Of course, they didn't have to go through with their threats. But, this time, we don't have that treacherous house elf to get in the way."

"He was a hero," Hermione choked out. "A hero and you killed him."

"The penalty for disloyalty. But, back to the current situation. Who will it be Fred? Would you really pick _this_ over your own pure-blood brother?"

"Of course, he would," George cut in, "And I wouldn't blame him."

"Interesting your brother is the one given the answer. Could it be because you disagree with him? Could it be that your family will always come first?"

Fred locked eyes with Hermione. Although he knew she wasn't listening to anything Bellatrix was saying, he was going to spend the rest of his life telling her what the other woman was saying was all lies. He forced a smile on his face.

"It'll be alright," he whispered, "I promise."

He didn't wait to see if she had registered what he had said. Instead he glanced at his brother who gave a quick nod. Bellatrix kept the knife at Hermione's throat. But with her other hand she brought her wand back out and aimed it at George.

"Are you really going to stand back and let your brother die? A pure-blooded wizard over some filthy Mudblood?"

Fred was aware of George moving his arm and he did the same. He reached behind him and gripped the end of the wand that was sticking out of the back of his belt.

"Actually, no I'm not."

Bellatrix's eyes lit up. "I knew it! Knew you wouldn't want to taint yourself with the likes of this."

Fred didn't reply. Instead he watched the colour drop from her face as both him and George pulled out their wands.

"You aren't killing anyone," George spat. "You see, we figured you'd probably realise I wasn't Fred."

"I mean the ear _does_ give it away," Fred added. "But also, I am quite clearly the better-looking brother. No one could mistake George for me."

He narrowed his eyes. "Those wands we had? Not ours. They belonged to two students who were slaughtered by either you or one of your deranged friends."

"Do Death Eaters even have friends?" George turned to him. "I mean do they hang out when they aren't plotting how to take over the Wizarding World?"

Fred shrugged. "You know, I've no idea."

"But," George cut in, "Back to the matter in hand. We knew you'd work it out. We knew you'd threaten us and threaten Hermione. But here's the thing,"

"We're the Weasley twins," Fred smiled. George nodded in agreement.

"And we always have two or three tricks up our sleeve."

Silence fell. Fred tightened his grip on his wand as Bellatrix simply dug the knife deeper into Hermione's neck.

"You seem to be forgetting something boys. One flick of my wrist and your precious Mudblood will be dead at my feet. How exactly do you plan on stopping that?"

"You'll see," George said. "You'll see."

Bellatrix opened her mouth when a small ball of light dropped down and bobbed about in the air in front of her. It spat several sparks and Fred grinned at the realisation in Hermione's eyes.

"We debuted these a few years ago," he said. "Tried them on an old headmistress of ours. When your Death Eater friends attacked our shop, we made sure we took a few with us."

"After all," George aimed his wand at the bobbing spark.

"You never know when they might come in handy. _Stupefy!"_

The firework exploded. Bright yellows, whites and blues shot everywhere. Bellatrix stumbled sideways – pushing Hermione away from her. Fred dived forward; ducking to avoid any sparks landing on him. She stumbled and he grabbed her before she could hit the ground.

"Hey," he pushed her hair from her face. Up close the damage was even worse than he had realised.

"I've got you. I've got you."

Hermione gripped his jacket. "Fred? You…. you and George…"

He pulled her close against him. Hermione's arm slipped around his waist and Fred could feel her body shaking in his hold.

"I'm here," he pressed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm here now okay?"

She nodded; face buried in his chest. As much as Fred would have happily remained in this moment, he was uncomfortably aware of their current situation. He eased Hermione back and ran his fingers over her face. He brushed some blood away from a cut on her chin.

"Oh Merlin," he whispered. "look at you. I'm so sorry I couldn't find you earlier."

She smiled weakly. "It's fine. Honestly it is."

Fred nodded. "Hermione, what I said to you at the wedding? I'm _so_ sorry. I never…I was being so stupid and so selfish! What you were about to go and do was such a huge sacrifice and instead all I cared about was the fact you were spending time with Ron."

"Fred-"

"No," he shook his head. "No. I was stupid and selfish and a total arse to you! And I am so _so_ sorry you spent nearly a whole year with our last memory being some stupid fight!"

He blinked back his tears. "I mean, you could have died at any point and I'd have never forgiven-"

Hermione pressed her lips against his; cutting off the rest of his words. Her hands gripped his face tightly. Fred curled one arm around her waist and pushed another through her hair. Hermione broke the kiss off and Fred couldn't help but grin as he saw she had been standing on her toes to reach him.

"Fred," she brushed away the tears leaking down his face. "I spent the past year living a life I could have never imagined. I spent every _single_ moment wishing you were there because I missed you. What I saw? What we all went through? An argument suddenly becomes a lot less important."

She raised her eyebrow. "You were still being a total jerk that day. But right now, I'm just glad you're alive!"

"The thing is," Fred sighed. "I'd been planning on saying something else to you during the wedding. I just let my emotions do the thinking rather than my brain."

She leant against him. "What was it you were planning on saying then?"

"I…" Fred turned to see the firework starting to die down. George had managed to set off another one, but he knew two wouldn't keep Bellatrix at aby forever. Fred kept one arm around Hermione and pointed his wand at the spitting firework.

"_Evanesco."_

The sky filled with brightly coloured sparks and lights. Fred could just about see the black figured of Bellatrix dodging each firework as they exploded around her. Hermione curled her arm around his waist.

"You brought fireworks to a battle?"

"What can I say," Fred gave an immodest grin, "We like to do things differently."

"Hey!" George was running through the fireworks. "Less talking, more escaping."

Fred nodded. George was only a few feet from them now. But right behind him, the dishevelled figure of Bellatrix Lestrange was moving towards him. She raised her wand above her head.

"George!"

Fred barely registered Hermione running beside him. Everything fell into slow motion as he sprinted towards his brother. George's eyes widened and he spun round as Bellatrix's grin stretched across her face. Fred grabbed George with one arm and pushed Hermione behind him with the other.

"_Avada Kedavra! "_

"_NO!"_

Fred dove to the floor and green light filled the sky.

_**AN: Okay so I know how the ending looks. But remember I only do Fremione fics with happy endings. I just also happen to have a slight obsession with cliff-hangers in my works that's all. Was initially going to have this be a two chapter story; but it kind of expanded as I was doing it. Final chapter should be up some point next week. Feel free to let me know what you all think x**_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Hermione opened her eyes. Her side ached from where Fred's arm had cut into it to push her backwards. Her palms stung and she gave her hand a brief flex to try and get some feeling back into it. She could still see flashes of green light in the sky above her. A few blinks and they faded into the grey skies. Fred and George lay beside her.

Both weren't moving.

Panic seized her chest. The past few minutes were running around in her head. But each time they did, things just got more and more mixed up. Bellatrix yelling and Fred pushing her out of the way were the only constants. Hermione let her cheek rest against the ground for a few more seconds before she went to push herself up.

"_Don't move!"_

She froze at the voice. Hermione inched her head to see George staring at her. He lay on his back, head turned to face her. Hermione noticed how still the rest of him was.

"_She's still there," _he whispered, "_so stay still."_

Hermione didn't respond. Instead she kept her face pressed against the ground. George smiled weakly. The seconds ticked by like hours. Hermione kept her eyes on Fred's back. No doubt he was doing the same as George and keeping as still as possible. If Bellatrix thought, they were dead she'd leave. Hermione placed her hand to Fred's back. After so many months the sight of him still seemed like a dream. Given how many dreams she'd had about him during her time with Harry and Ron, it had taken her a few seconds to realise how real he was. And yet, as happy as she was to see him, right now she wished he was anywhere other than here. She knew he'd have come to the battle. But the sight of him risking his life for her by going against one of Voldemort's closest allies was an image that resembled a nightmare.

"_Hey,"_ George hissed, "_she's gone."_

Hermione risked a peek over Fred's body. The space around them was empty of life. She pushed herself onto her hands and knees and turned to George. He shot her a smile.

"You okay?"

Hermione gingerly felt around her neck. The thin scratches left by Bellatrix stained her fingers.

"Hermione?"

"I…" She nodded. "I'm fine."

One look at George told her he wasn't convinced. But he simply forced a small smile on his face and turned to Fred.

"Okay Forge you can get up."

Hermione waited for Fred to move. To open his eyes and greet them with a joke. But instead he just lay there. Colour flooded from George's face.

"Fred?" He gave him a shove. "Freddie?"

Hermione leant over Fred and gently eased him onto his back.

"No. No no Fred. No Fred please wake up!"

His head lolled on the ground. Blood trickled down from his forehead. Hermione pushed his hair from his eyes whilst George gave him another shake.

"Fred this isn't funny!" His voice cracked. "Fred wake up!"

Hermione gasped as hands grabbed her shoulders. George's red eyes stared hard at her.

"Hermione," his voice shook, "do something! Anything! I can't…. please just not him!"

"George I…" she turned back to Fred. With one hand she wiped her eyes and with another she pressed it against the side of Fred's neck. After a bit of moving around, she finally found the right spot.

"Hermione?"

"Wait." She shut her eyes. "Please, please _please_!"

It took a few hideously long seconds before Hermione felt a slow, but steady thumping underneath her fingers.

"He's alive!"

George blinked at her. "He's…. but…. are you sure?"

Hermione grabbed his hand and pressed it against Fred's neck. The tearful smile on George's face told her he'd felt the same thing. He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Thank Merlin! But why is he unconscious?"

Hermione glanced back at the blood moving down one side of Fred's face.

"He hit his head pretty hard. Might have just knocked him out?"

She gently pushed back his fringe to see a huge gash near Fred's hairline. The skin around it was already starting to bruise.

"You gave us a scare Freddie," she whispered, "Don't ever do that again."

"Mione?"

Hermione watched Fred's face screw up. His eyes flickered open and he smiled weakly.

"Mione…. m'dreaming." He nodded. "Nice dream."

"No," Hermione grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "No Fred it's not a dream. Fred open your eyes!"

"Too loud," he mumbled. "Want to sleep."

"Not a chance brother," George shifted so he now knelt over Fred on his other side. "Eyes on me."

Fred shook his head. "But she's better looking than you."

Hermione blushed. George winked at her and grinned. He smiled back at Fred. "Fine. Then keep your eyes on her. Just don't go to sleep."

"What happened?" Fred glanced between the two of them. "Bellatrix she…. lots of green lights!"

"Doesn't matter," Hermione whispered. "She's gone now."

Fred smiled at her and Hermione looked down to see her was trying to link their hands together. She grabbed his hand between both of hers and held it tightly. Fred narrowed his eyes.

"Why…." His voice slurred slightly, "why is your neck red?"

Hermione's eyed widened. The cuts must have been bleeding more than she had thought. She kissed Fred's hand.

"It's nothing to worry about Fred. Nothing at all."

She glanced up at George. "We need to get him inside. Get him seen to."

George nodded. "Okay Forge. We're going to get you up okay. Think you can stand?"

"Sounds like effort," Fred muttered. "It's comfier down here."

"Yeah well," George slid one arm around Fred, "It's either you stand, or I'll carry you. Which will it be?"

"Stand. Ow!" Fred's face screwed up as George forced him to sit up. Hermione was aware he was staring at her face closely. Although he was smiling, she could tell he wasn't fully with it. Fred slid his hand out of her hold and gently pushed her hair back.

"Love you," he whispered. "Meant to say that. Not some…. some stupid argument."

Hermione opened her mouth, but she had nothing to say back. George gripped Fred and hauled him to his feet. As Fred half fell against his brother, Hermione could still see the worry in George's eyes.

"Mum'll go mad when she sees him," he said with a forced smile. "Probably best we don't tell her about what happened."

Fred gave a small shake of the head – eyes still fixed on Hermione. She reached up and hurriedly kissed him.

"See you in a bit."

"Wait…what?" George shifted his hold, so Fred was no longer slipping against him.

"Hermione where are you going?"

"Going to find Bellatrix."

George's eyes widened. "Hermione are you mad? She nearly killed you! She nearly killed all of us!"

Fred was shaking his head. "Hermione…." He pulled against George, but his brother was holding him too tight.

"Hermione don't…." tears filled his eyes. "Can't lose you…. not again."

Hermione forced herself to smile. "I'll be fine. You need to get looked at. You both do. If you see Harry and Ron don't tell them. They'll only do something stupid like try and find me and stop me."

George was about to reply when she spun round and began walking. She could hear George's shouts mixed in with Fred's half senseless ones. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she forced herself to keep walking. She didn't even break stride as she picked up her wand.

Before today the idea of her killing someone had been laughable. But now? Now it was different. Before today, Fred hadn't been in danger. He hadn't almost lost his life. The fact that he had nearly been taken from him changed _everything._

* * *

It didn't really take that long to track down Bellatrix. All she had to do was follow the chaos. Hermione was uncomfortably aware of the dead bodies she was walking past. But as she got closer and closer to the castle, she was aware that the majority of them were no longer students but Death Eaters. A cackle echoed to the side of her and spun round to see Bellatrix moving towards her. Wand raised.

"You just won't die, will you?"

Hermione didn't blink. "Stupefy!"

The Death Eater was flung backwards. Her body hit the floor with a thud. Hermione gripped the wand in her hand as she strode towards the woman. Bellatrix pushed her elf up and Hermione raised her wand again.

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!"

Hermione stumbled back from the force of Bellatrix's shield. Although the other woman was still lying on the floor, she had managed to force herself to sit up enough to keep her wand aimed at her. Hermione gripped her wand and Bellatrix raised an eyebrow.

"If you are going to kill me, then you should have the guts to do it properly."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Why? So, you don't suffer? So, it's all over quickly? You don't deserve mercy Bellatrix."

The woman smiled. "You see. You and all the others think you're so good. So high and mighty. So moral. But deep down, you're just like us. The only difference is we embrace who are. We aren't ashamed of it."

"I'm nothing like you," Hermione shook her head. "You live on fear and hate and suffering. You've tortured and killed so many people."

"Aww," Bellatrix cocked her head to one side and shot Hermione a look of mock sadness.

"Is that why you are here? Because I hurt you? Because I was too rough with you?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. What you did to me? That doesn't matter. You acted out of prejudice and I've accepted that. But trying to kill Fred? That's different."

"You speak as though he's innocent!" Bellatrix spat. "He's nothing more than a filthy blood traitor."

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!"

Hermione smiled as her spell broke through the other woman's shield and knocked her backwards. Bellatrix took several deep breaths and Hermione forced herself to walk towards her.

"He is the best man I have ever known." Her voice shook. "And you tried to take that from me. And I can't ever look past that."

Bellatrix turned to face her. A smile still on her face.

"So, you're killing me because of a boy?" Her voice was a lot quieter and Hermione could see her chest fighting to breathe. She shook her head.

"He's not just that." She raised her wand. "He's the man I'm in love with. And I won't ever let anyone try and hurt him. Stupefy!"

The spell hit Bellatrix and her body convulsed briefly before lying still. Hermione watched the faint rise and fall of her chest. As she stood over the unconscious woman, she felt the spell linger on the tip of her tongue. Two words and it would all end. Bellatrix would be gone and everything she had done would have been avenged. Hermione pointed her wand at her still body for a few seconds before lowering it again.

"You wouldn't hesitate." she whispered. "You would think nothing of killing an unconscious person. Whether they deserved it or not. So, like I said; I'm _nothing_ like you."

She tucked her wand into the back of her jeans and took one last look at the Death Eater. Tears leaked down her face as she turned and began walking back towards the ruins of Hogwarts.

* * *

When he saw her walking through the infirmary alongside his brother, part of Fred wondered if he was imagining. The journey back to Hogwarts had been mostly a blur. It was the only the past couple of hours that had been able to fix in his brain. Madame Pomfrey had patched him up and explain his head would hurt for a while but there was no lasting damage. Fred had pretended to be insulted at her suggestion it would knock some maturity into him. His parents hadn't been to see him. Only George. Not that Fred blamed them. He'd still been able to hear the sounds of the ongoing battle until less than an hour ago. No doubt his parents were busy trying to round everyone up. Fred glanced at the empty seat by his bed. The moment George had told him where Hermione had gone; he'd insisted on his brother going off to find her. The very notion of her facing Bellatrix alone had his stomach doing flips. So, to see her standing by his bedside had Fred forcing aside the pain in his body and attempting to push himself out of bed. Hermione gently pushed him back down. George winked at him as she sat down on the bed beside him.

"Told you she'd be fine. You sitting there, fussing and demanding I go and find her. Did your knock make you forget your girlfriend is Hermione Granger?"

Fred smiled weakly at his brother. Madame Pomfrey must have told them both he was okay. When he'd first woken up George had been a mess. For him to joking meant he had at the very least calmed down. Hermione stared at him closely.

"Are you okay? Honestly?"

Fred nodded. "I'm fine. Things will ache for a while but other than that I'm okay."

Hermione gave him a soft smile. Fred pushed himself into a sitting position seconds before she leaned forward and gave him a firm shove.

"Hermione what-"

"You nearly died!" She blinked back her tears. "You could have…. Fred she could have _killed_ you! Right in front of me. For a few seconds I thought… Fred we thought we'd lost you!"

"Probably should have warned you she might be a bit upset about that brother."

Fred smirked at his brothers comment. Hermione narrowed her eyes and jumped to her feet.

"Don't you start George Weasley!" She jabbed a finger at him. "You going up against Bellatrix knowing she could kill you on sight! How bloody reckless are you!"

"Hey, it wasn't just me!" George backed away as Hermione prodded him in the chest.

"Fred said it was a good plan! Ow" He rubbed his arm and Hermione nodded.

"Good. I hope it hurt."

Fred watched the pair of them for a few seconds. George gave him arm another rub before he reached for her and pulled her into a hug. Hermione buried her face into his chest.

"You…" Her sobs broke Fred's heart.

"You both could have died!"

"I know," George gave her a quick squeeze before letting her go.

"But we didn't. Okay? We're both still here and you're still stuck with us."

Hermione wiped her eyes with a smile. "You make that sound like a good thing."

"Yeah well," George gently moved her back towards the bed. "I know my brother isn't the better looking out of the two of us. But I'm sure you'll get over it."

Hermione sat back down beside Fred who took her hand. George shot him a wry smile.

"So…I'm guessing you'll want some alone time. Forge as happy as I am to see you awake, I don't need to see you guys making out. I'm gonna find mum and dad and tell them you're okay."

"Is that before or after you go and see Angelina?"

George's face flushed but the smile remained on his face. "What? Can't a gentleman go and see his lady after a battle?"

As his brother wandered off, Fred watched his retreating figure for a few moments before turning back to Hermione. Tears tracks stained her face and up close he could see dried blood covering her neck. He gripped her hand tightly.

"Look at you." Fred leaned forward and gently ran a hand along her neck. His fingers moved down her dirtied jacket and landed on her other hand. As he took in the grazes on her palm, he found himself shaking his head.

"Fred?"

"Come here."

Hermione didn't say anything as he pulled her against him. Fred gripped her tightly and he could feel her arms wrapping themselves around his waist. Her hair pressed itself against his cheek and he tightened his hold.

"Fred-"

"Hang on," he whispered, "I just need to hold you. Please?"

Hermione nodded and Fred hid his face in her shoulder. He hadn't thought he'd have any tears left and yet still they came. With a hurried kiss against her cheek he broke away. Hermione smiled at him.

"That make you feel better?"

"Yeah," Fred wiped his eyes, "I thought I'd imagined it; you saying you were going after Bellatrix. Then when George told me it had actually happened...? I'd never been so scared as I had been when he told me that. Never."

Hermione gripped his hand. "I never meant to scare you. I just…. Fred that woman has done so much evil. I couldn't just let her walk away. I don't just mean what she did to me. She tried to take you away from me. I couldn't let her just get away with that."

"What happened?"

"I didn't kill her." Hermione must have noticed the shock on his face because she simply shrugged.

"I wanted to. I stunned her until she was unconscious. I remember standing over her and thinking how easy it would be to do it. But I just couldn't. Not like that. So, I just turned and walked away."

Fred settled back against his pillows. "Have I ever told you how truly incredible you are? No, I'm serious!" he added as Hermione turned away.

"I'm serious. When she was hurting you, I was happy to kill her. I had the words on the tip of my tongue. I'd have done anything to stop her from hurting you."

"So why didn't you?"

Fred sighed. "I saw your face. I hadn't seen you in so long I suddenly realised how much you had gone through. How much death you had already seen. I couldn't add to that. I couldn't do that to you."

Silence fell. Fred watched as Hermione interwove their fingers and he couldn't help but smile as she gave his hand another squeeze. Although given everything that was happening around them; he had another thought on his mind. A slightly more important one.

"Hermione? When Bellatrix nearly killed us…. did I…did I say anything to you?"

"You don't remember?"

Fred shook his head. "Not really. But George…. He kind of insinuated I might have said something to you."

Hermione shuffled closer towards him. "You were a bit out of it really. But you did tell me what you had meant to tell me at Bills wedding."

"I….um…. right. Okay." Fred nodded as his inside began to twist again. To say that hadn't been how he planned to tell her would have been an understatement. He'd wanted it to be a nice private moment between them. Not the middle of a battlefield with him half senseless.

"I didn't… I did mean it. I do mean it." He lurched forward and grabbed her free hand.

"I just wanted it to be a nice moment between us. Something special and romantic."

"Fred-"

"That's why I wanted to tell you at the wedding. And then I was stupid, and we argued, and you left. I thought maybe once this was all over, I could tell you. In private. I didn't mean for it to slip out. Especially not in-front of people."

"Fred."

"I didn't mean to make you feel awkward or embarrassed or anything. And I don't expect you to say it back or-"

"Fred!" Hermione had moved forward, so her face was now inches from his. A smile tugged on her lips and Fred realised her hands were no longer hold his. She gently cupped his face.

"I love you to."

"You-" Fred broke off as Hermione pressed her lips to his. Her hands moved from his face to his hair whilst his own hands gripped her waist. He eased back.

"Do you mean it?"

Hermione nodded and Fred smiled. He leaned forward before pausing.

"By the way, don't think this means i'm not going to drag someone over here to get you looked after."

Hermione winked at him. "I know. But in a bit? Right now I just need you."

Fred grinned, "Well in that case, I am all yours." He closed the distance between them and wasted no time in carrying on what they had started.

* * *

George led his parents through the infirmary. He knew Ron and Percy were busy helping some of the staff look for the few people who were still missing. And he knew Harry and Ginny were having some time alone. George shook his head; praying Fred and Hermione had finished their alone time. He didn't need to see another one of his siblings making out with one of his other surrogate siblings. Once was more than enough to deal with.

"Are you sure Fred's alright?" His mum's voice called out from behind him. George nodded.

"Mum he's fine. Honestly."

"Molly, Fred will be fine. Nothing is ever going to have him down for long."

George quickened his pace slightly as he neared Fred's bed. If his brother and Hermione were still 'busy', he knew he'd need time to warn them before their mum saw. George stopped at the foot of the bed and a smile stretched across his face.

"Mum maybe you should come back later?"

"Why? What's happened?" His mum's footsteps quickened, and George shook his head; the smile still on his face. He watched both of his parents stand by the side of the bed with looks of relief and happiness.

Both Fred and Hermione lay asleep on the bed. Hermione was curled up against Fred who was holding her against him protectively. George watched his Dad hold his mum close.

"Best let them sleep Molly," he whispered. "We can come back later. At least we know he's okay."

George could tell his mum didn't want to go. He stayed where he was as Dad gently eased her away from the back and back out of the room. He kept his own eyes fixed on the bed. Hermione whimpered slightly and Fred's arm tightened around her until she calmed. George smiled.

"Love you Forge."

He stayed for a few seconds before following his parents; leaving his brother and the girl he loved to have some well deserved peace.

_**AN: And there we go! Took a few chapters but got the happy ending eventually. Hope you all enjoyed the conclusion to this story. As ever let me know what you think xx**_


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